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No
part of this publication may be republished, stored in a retrieval
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designer and copyright owner

Comprehensive
troubleshooting
guide on portrait painting. Find a beginner’s section on
portraiture, as well as the essential pigments to capture skin tones.
This is followed by constructive advice on painting eyes,
different-coloured hair, noses and remedial techniques. Chapters
include, ‘my ethnic skin colours look dirty,’ ‘the eyes on my
portrait look like marbles’ and much more. With a step by step
demo. 27,000 words and 150 images.

Book
Sample of
Why do My Ellipses Look Like Doughnuts?

Comprehensive
troubleshooting advice on producing
still life art including flowers, fruit and toys. Find a beginner’s
section on painting still life, textures and shadows. Common issues
such as ellipses, perspectives and textures are tackled. Including
‘why do my flowers look wishy washy?’, ‘the food in my still
life resemble plastic toys’ and much more. Includes a step by step
demo. 24,000 words, over 120 illustrations.

This
bumper oil painting ebook
comprises three books: Why
do my Clouds Look Like Cotton Wool?
a problem-solver for landscape painting; Why
do my Skin Tones Look Lifeless?
a problem-solver for portrait painting, and Why
do my Ellipses Look Like Doughnuts?
a problem-solver for still life painting. Each book can be purchased
singly if interested in only one subject area.

Each
book comprises 26 common ‘peeves’
(in the form of chapters) associated with the oil painting area
concerned, and therefore you will find 78 such peeves and suggested
solutions collectively within.

Each
book also possesses a step by step painting demonstration associated
with the subject area. These are Castlerigg Stone Circle (for
landscape art); David’s Oath of the Horatii (for portraiture) and
painting strawberries (for still life).

The
‘peeves’ selected
represent common problem areas that students have experienced in my
art classes. Such peeves include the rendering of ellipses, darkening
skin colours, suggesting rippled effects in water, painting clouds,
mixing greens, suggesting soft hair, painting noses, reflections in
eyes, moisture on fruit, portrait photography, measuring tones,
darkening snow colours and the rendering of long objects in
foreshortening. Many other peeves are examined.

As
each book are in themselves separate entities,
where applicable, similar information is presented in context of
landscape art, portraiture and still life painting, although the
information is presented differently. Examples of this are the art
materials needed for painting and the nature of pigments. However,
such occurrences are mostly confined to the introductory chapters of
each book and occur seldom elsewhere.

The
aim of this book is to find a ‘cure’ for a given issue and enable
the developing artist to improve
in the future. Most of all, to encourage creativity and growing
confidence.

Briefly,
I have attained an Hons Degree
in Fine Art from Kingston University, London and a PCET teaching
qualification from Warwick. I have written numerous articles and
books on oil painting, as I have painted since the age of six and
have been involved in countless commissions and projects.

Indeed
why do clouds sometimes look like cotton wool in landscape paintings?
And why do mountains sometimes end up resembling pointed cones topped
with cream?

Such
frustrations and many others are occasionally encountered by
professional landscape artists and novices alike, whether it is to
capture a bright sunset or the greens of foliage. It is all part of
learning to paint.

If
the issue persists, however, the problem is likely to become a
creative block. This is where this book comes in.

With
no-nonsense and at times blunt advice, each issue is tackled
in-depth: a diagnostic of the problem, suggested solutions in the
form of recommended art materials and remedial painting exercises, as
well as an oil painting demonstration.

In
total, twenty-six common “peeves” associated with landscape
painting are tackled within this book, including why shadows look
like black splodges, trees like lollypops and why flowers look
garish. In five clear sections, a myriad of other matters relating to
landscape painting are explained, such as the colour theory, the
rules of perspectives and introductory chapters on the essentials of
oil painting, in total, with over 100 full colour illustrations and
several diagrams.

Some
of the paintings within this book have been featured in my Landscape
Painting in Oils, Twenty Step by Step Guides for
clear instructions on how they were completed. If the problem sought
after is not in this book, it might be in one of my other Oil
Painting Medic books within this series due to come out in the
foreseeable future. A list can be found at the back of this book.

The
prospecting artist does not need lots of oil painting materials or a
huge budget to enjoy landscape painting,
as can be seen in image 1. In fact, great artwork can be produced
with minimal funds and oil painting equipment. But what essential art
materials should the beginner buy?

Types
of Oil Paint

Briefly,
traditional oil paint is graded into two types: artist quality and
student quality. Artist quality oils possess organic pigments which
makes them more costly to produce and to buy. Student oils are
cheaper because they are made with synthetic pigments, which have
almost the same exacting qualities as its more expensive counterpart.
Personally, I have found student quality oils perfectly suited for my
requirements and have used them extensively in my oil paintings.
Having said this, I always stick to an established and recommended
brand such as Winsor & Newton, Daler Rowney or Grumbacher.

Oil
Painting Colours

Some
artists use numerous oil painting pigments, which is fine, but the
beginner can mix any essential colour with just three primary colours
and white. Additional colours will come in handy if the artist does
not wish to keep mixing colours to obtain a particular hue. Earth
colours for example are useful for adding atmosphere, tempering
bright colours and for painting in monochrome.

Primary
Colours

Primary
colours are an essential ingredient to any artist palette, but the
true primaries are not any red, yellow and blue, as one might think,
but the colours found in scattered light. In terms of printing ink,
these are magenta, cyan and yellow.

In
reality, a true primary colour cannot exist in pigment terms, as
impurities can always be found, even if it is one part per billion.
This can never match the purity of scattered light. However, a close
approximation can be achieved.

I
have found permanent rose, pthalo blue and cadmium yellow (pale) to
be close to the mark, and include them within my oil painting
palette. More about colour theory can be found in chapter 11.

Essential
Oil Painting Pigments

Collectively,
the following pigments will produce just about any hue needed for
landscape painting:

1.
A large tube of titanium white (120ml or so), and 37ml tubes of the
following colours:

2.
Permanent rose

3.
Cadmium red

4.
Pthalo blue

5.
Ultramarine

6.
Cadmium yellow (pale)

7.
Lemon yellow

8.
Burnt sienna

9.
Burnt umber

10.
Viridian green: A much-maligned colour for its garishness, but has a
strong tinting strength; when mixed with other colours, produces
beautiful greens.

Art
Brushes for Oils

Oil
painting brushes are essentially divided into two types: stiff
brushes, most often hog or ox hair for impasto (the application of
thick paint) or for covering large areas. And soft brushes, usually
sables for blending and detail.

Good
quality sable brushes are essential for applying detail and soft
blending, such as rendering flower heads or mists over water. Cheap
sables that have no springiness to the hairs are not suited to the
heavy properties of oil paint and will splay easily.

Brush
Shapes

Kolinsky
sables are robust and are excellent for controlling the paint.
Brushes such as Sceptre Gold offer a cheaper alternative, as the
sable hair is blended with synthetic substitutes.

Lots
of brushes are not necessary. I use just two or three different
shapes and sizes. Rounds are brushes that taper to a point. Sizes 1,
3 and 6 will suit most purposes for detailed work. Flats (or brights)
have a blunt end for wider brush marks.

Filberts
are similar to flats, but have rounded edges. Sizes 10 to 16 of
either type will serve essential blending purposes. Some artists
include a diversity of brush shapes for different mark-making, such
as riggers (long thin brushes) for linear strokes such as branches,
or fan brushes, for soft blending. Experimenting with different
brushes will develop personal preference.

Image
4
shows the utensils used in oil painting. From the left: large, medium
and small bristle, large medium and small round sable and small and
medium palette knives.

Brushes
for Impasto

Stiff
brushes are traditionally made from ox hair and are used for robust
artwork such as the application of large amounts of paint for
cornfields or impasto for skies. High quality bristle brushes are not
so crucial. The artist can save money by purchasing stiff brushes
from DIY stores, but cheap ones that moult onto the painting must be
avoided. Flats or filberts sizes 6, 9 and 12 are ideal for expressive
oil painting.

Long-handled
brushes are intended for artists who like to stand back during the
painting process, but are difficult to store if space is an issue.
Short-handled brushes can be tucked away easily and are cheaper.

1:
Preparing your
own art surfaces can save lots of money. 2: Suitable surfaces that
can be used as an artist’s palette need to be non-porous such as
plastic or china. 3: Used bristles and sables brushes can be ideal
for applying art techniques. 4: Art mediums showing low odour artist
spirits, linseed oil and impasto medium.

Surfaces
for Oil Painting

Wood,
canvas, card and even paper make suitable surfaces for oil painting
so long as they have been sealed with a gesso or similar size
(usually glue). A simple option is acrylic polymer primer, a
water-based gesso that can be obtained from art stores and hobby
shops.

Priming
your own art surfaces saves money on purchasing prepared surfaces. A
two-coat application via a household brush is all that is required.
Because the primer is water-based, is odour free and brushes can be
washed in warm soapy water afterwards.

Reasonably-priced
stretched, primed canvas, art boards or textured paper can also be
obtained with shrewd shopping from certain stationers and
supermarkets. Sizes are usually in Imperial. The beginner may try
small painting supports for quick oil sketches. Anything from 8”X
10” (203mm X 254mm) to 16”X 20” (406mm X 508mm) would be ideal
for producing landscape paintings that are easy to store.

Oil
Painting Mediums

Artist
solvents serve the purpose of cleaning the brushes and thinning the
paint for washes (or glazes), rather like water to watercolour.

Industrial
solvents must never be used for oil painting for their powerful
odours and severity to the brushes. Low odour artists’ white
spirits or Sansador is preferable. To prolong the life of the
brushes, I will lather the bristles afterwards in neat washing up
liquid before rinsing them under a hot tap until the water runs
clear.

Linseed
oil is used for thinning the paint into smooth glazes and for adding
lustre to the pigment. It is ideal for applying flat washes for mists
or clouds. Liquin is an alkyd medium that offers a quick-drying
alternative to linseed oil. Liquin leaves a matt finish if lustre is
not desired.

By
contrast, Oleopasto is also an alkyd based medium that can be mixed
with oil paint to add bulk for impasto techniques. This can save
money on using lots of oil paint when trying to emulate the
Impressionists or create texture in oil paint. All these mediums are
explored in more detail throughout this book.

Handy
Palettes

Any
non porous material can be used as a palette. A china plate,
varnished wood or plastic will do. Cling film stretched over a stiff
surface via bulldog clips can be affixed to a drawing board to free
up the artist’s hands. When I am finished, the used cling film can
easily be disposed of by folding it into a ball without mess.

Mobile
Easels

Easels
can be dispensed with by resting the painting surface onto a backing
board via bulldog clips and propping it against a table edge or lap.
Alternatively, a tabletop easel or small sketching easel would be
fine.

Most
of the art materials mentioned can be stored inside a tool box, a
cheaper alternative to an art box. The tool box is sturdy and opens
out in tiered drawers, ideal for the landscape artist’s mobile
studio.

Simple
Materials for Oil Painting

The
artist need not purchase everything mentioned to begin oil painting.
I have often completed an oil painting by the use of two brushes, a
couple of colours, a small canvas and no mediums. The artist may
purchase additional materials as to requirement or to achieve a
particular effect.

As
can be seen, landscape oil painting remains a realistic pursuit
regardless of the funds or storage capacity available.

Confronting
oil painting techniques for the first time may overwhelm the beginner
on the diversity on offer. But the artist may keep the practice as
simple or complex to suit. Each art technique is great for achieving
a particular effect in landscape painting. For informative purposes,
the following describe the main techniques for oil painting.

Alla
Prima

Alla
prima
(image 1) simply describes a painting completed in one session and
therefore in one paint layer. Quick oil painting sketches of
landscapes or skies, for example, are typically completed in alla
prima. Such a technique requires the application of neat oil paint
straight onto the painting surface, without the need for mediums.

Glazing

Glazing
(image 2) describes the completion of an oil painting by the
application of several layers of translucent oil paint and over
several sessions.

Each
layer or “glaze” can be used to modify the colour beneath, to
enrich the colour or to alter its tone. The paint will usually be
thinned with linseed oil or an alkyd medium such as Liquin. Many old
masters practiced glazing, applying as many as ten or more layers
before satisfaction with the result. I rarely find the need to apply
more than three paint layers to achieve the effects I want.

Sgraffito

Sgraffito
(image 3) is an etching technique where mark-making implements such
as combs, toothbrushes or pencils may be used to cut into the paint
to create a sense of movement and energy. Applying a conflicting
colour beneath the paint surface can be used to add contrast when
etched into.

Impasto

Oil
painting impasto
(image 4) complements alla prima, in that a thick paint layer can be
used to enhance brisk brush marks or other textures within the paint.
Impasto (meaning thick paint) can be manipulated with wide bristle
brushes, palette knives or other mark-making instruments to create
ridges and troughs in the paint.

Scumbling

Scumbling
(image 5) is an oil painting technique that gives a broken finish to
the paint, adding atmosphere to clouds or landscapes. Neat paint
scuffed over a rough painting surface is the usual practice.
Landscape artist John Constable practiced scumbling in his later
coastal paintings.

Pointillism

Applying
small marks of varying hues in various patterns (image 6) when viewed
from afar will come together to create an image. The post
impressionists, such as Seurat and Signac used this method to suggest
light and atmosphere.

Tonking

Tonking
is named after Sir Arthur Tonks who developed the technique for
undoing an area of painting the artist is unhappy with. By blotting
off the area concerned with newspaper, the paint can be lifted off
without affecting the surrounding area. Tonking is explored in more
detail in chapter 8.

Wet
into Wet

An
art technique mostly associated with watercolours, wet-into-wet is
the application of runny oil paint onto a wet glaze. Interesting
colour-bleeds result, ideal for skies, water and foliage, and which
also encourages “happy accidents.” Wet into wet is explored in
chapter 5.

Which
Art Technique?

With
different oil painting techniques at one’s disposal, the artist can
create a diversity of effects in landscape painting without
difficulty.

Several
techniques can be combined within one painting to provide contrast in
approach. But the beginner may try alla prima or impasto before
venturing into more challenging techniques such as wet into wet or
glazing.

Chapter 3. I
Don’t Have the Confidence to Begin Landscape Painting

1:
The under-drawing 2: Mark-making onto a doodleboard. 3: How colours
appear different against various backgrounds. 4: A first landscape
painting can be simple. 5: Using expressive brush marks in
oil painting. 6: Allowing imperfections to remain in the paint layer.

The
beginner in landscape painting may find it difficult to pick up a
paintbrush and make a mark. A fear of failure fuelled by an inner art
critic could cripple all creativity before it has a chance to express
itself into a sky sketch or a lake study. How can the novice artist
produce satisfactory landscape art for the first time?

Creative
Blocks to Landscape Art

Worrying
about getting the first mark perfect could cause the artist to
continuously false-start the painting in an effort to capture a
particular green colour mix or realism in clouds. Unchecked, this
inner perfectionist could sap all confidence from the artist,
creating a negative learning experience.

However,
there are easier ways of overcoming the transition between a
non-painter and a landscape artist.

Learning
a new skill often entails being lenient and landscape painting is no
different. This means learning to accept that mistakes will be made,
some of which may turn out to have interesting effects that may
enhance a future painting. Alternatively, every mistake is a learning
process.

The
Doodle Board

One’s
first painting need not be ceremonious. Begin with mark-making on a
primed piece of card or paper
(image 2). Squeeze out a cherry-sized dollop of each colour and about
twice as much white onto the palette.

Place
a finger’s width of artist solvent into a jar and arrange all art
materials to hand.

Use
each brush and try out each colour in turn. Aim to cover the painting
surface with different marks in a sort of doodle board. Try out
different brushes, palette knives, old combs, toothbrushes or
sponges. View oil painting as a child learning a new skill. But above
all, have fun and experiment.

Use
paint neat, dry, runny and thick. Mix two colours, then three. Try
blending two colours into one another to create chromatic gradations.
Lighten a colour by adding white, then try darkening it by adding the
colour’s complementary or opposing colour (in the case of red, this
will be green). See chapter 11 to find out more about opposing
colours.

Context
of Colours

Experiment
with how colours look when placed against different backgrounds
(image 3).

Spread
different colours over the card and allow each to dry over a few
days.

Apply
thinned paint on top. The upper glaze will modify the colour of the
paint beneath like stained glass. This technique is known as glazing
and can be used achieve deep, rich colours. Notice the effect is
different to simply mixing the colours together.

The
artist will further discover that a dark colour will appear pale when
painted on a darker colour, and a pale colour will appear dark when
placed on a paler colour.

Such
lessons on colour behaviour will come in useful when judging colour
relationships within a landscape painting, such as clouds on a blue
sky, or shadows over water.

Oil
Painting Exercise

Keep
a first landscape painting simple with manageable goals. Experiment
in private if need be and bear in mind that if the painting does not
work out, it does not matter for this is all part of the learning
process. A step by step guide on painting Castlerigg Stone Circle can
be found at the back of this book which may help.

Begin
by using a limited palette of three primary colours and white. In the
case of oils, pthalo blue, permanent rose and cadmium yellow (pale)
can be used. Use a small painting surface of approximately A4 in
size. Copy a photograph consisting of simple elements such as a
field, a tree and sky. A river and a cottage or a copse would also be
ideal. The aim is not perfection, but simply to complete a painting.
Set aside ample time for the exercise to ensure the painting will be
completed in one go as opposed to going back to it later.

Learning
to Paint

Resist
the temptation to make comparisons with landscape artists as seen in
fine art books, such as the Impressionists or the Surrealists. These
comparisons would be unfair and could nurture an inner despair.
Artists such as Constable and Monet could only reach the pinnacles
they had by intensive practice fuelled by a passion for painting.
Even they at some point would have produced an unsatisfactory
landscape painting and made mistakes. Of course, fine art books
continue to show only their best works.

Textures
of Oil Paint

Try
not to agonise over every aspect of the painting in an effort to get
it right, for this could leave the painting feeling rigid.

Allow
imperfections to remain, which might be brush marks, streaks of
colour or irregular lines. Oil Painting is often about suggestion
rather than illustrating every object in full, although high detail
can be achieved. Cloud sketches and forest paintings for example,
often contain broken glazes and thick impasto, which adds atmosphere
and movement to the painting.

Becoming
a Landscape Artist

Completing
a first landscape painting is a big first step and may spark the
inspiration to embark upon a series of others. A painting that does
not go to plan however can be worked over, which is the beauty of the
forgiving properties of oil paint. Alternatively, it can be put to
one side and another one begun with a different approach which might
be suggested in this book.

But
learning to paint means learning to accept mistakes will happen, and
with the right view, provides the path to improvement, whether it is
to capture reflections in water or snow caps on mountains. Either
way, it could be the beginning of a long and exciting journey.

Solutions for Oil
Painting Techniques

Chapter
4. My Landscape Paintings Look Childish

1:
Unlikely
hues can be found in skies such as pinks and indigoes. 2: Lightning
provides opportunities for exploring high contrasts in skies. 3:
Definite hues can be found shadows rather than black. 4: Preparing a
toned ground (known as an underglaze) can be used on which to key
tones.

The
artist who strives for realism may experience dissatisfaction if a
painting of trees or rivers looks cartoonish. Mountains or rivers
appear cut out, shadows resemble dark smudges and trees idealised.
How does the artist create paintings that look convincing?

A
Naive Landscape Painting

A
childish rendering of a landscape scene is such a common affliction,
this theme can be found echoed throughout this book. Needless to say,
is often the reason a landscape painting is consigned to a bottom
drawer or even the artist to give up. But this need not be the end.

The
reason why a painting ends up lacking realism is often down to one
thing: the dictatorial part of the brain. This bossy little inner
voice believes it knows better than what the eye actually sees. It
may insist upon illustrating symbolic versions of objects regarding
lines, shapes, colours and tone, which could be some or part of the
following:

A
clear sky is blue, shadows are black, snow is white, the grass is
green and all mountains resemble cones.

When
it comes to what the eyes see, the above is often not true: skies can
be silver, indigo or pink, as can be seen in the cirrus painting
(image 1); snow can appear blue or violet, shadows can be orange,
grass can be red and mountains can be lots of shapes.

These
are simplified examples, but the dictatorial part of the brain may
interfere with the painting process in very subtle ways which the
artist may not always be aware of, such as how a line curves or the
chromatic shift of the sky. The foreshortening effect of something
pointing at the viewer, such as the limb of the tree describes such a
dilemma at its worst. The brain knows the object is long, and yet it
appears short to the eye.

Achieving
Realism in Art

What
is the solution to this dilemma? The theory is simple, the practice
is more difficult: Shutting off this dogmatic advice. Viewing a scene
honestly not only helps the painting process, but the whole business
of creating realistic art, which might be reflections in water, the
featheriness of cirrus clouds or mountain outcrops.

Capturing
the Reality of Landscapes

Capturing
the true essence of a landscape can be achieved by the following
strategies:

View
the subject matter in front as abstract shapes and lines rather than
what the object actually is. A river is no longer a river, but a
jigsaw of colour and tone. Half-closing the eyes will help simplify
this jigsaw.

Keep
looking at the photograph or subject matter in front. Not doing so
allows memory to sneak in, and memory is the enemy of realistic art.
Memory is where the dogmatic part of the brain takes over.

If
copying from a photograph, turn the photograph and painting upside
down to break it down into abstract shapes.

Stand
at least ten feet from the painting now and again. This will help the
artist appreciate the painting as a whole rather than in its parts.

View
the painting through a mirror. This will reveal hidden errors in the
painting when in reverse.

Take
half an hour’s break from the painting session and return with a
fresh view.

Make
comparisons regarding shapes, tones and colours. Is a line, for
instance straighter or more curved than this one? Is this colour
darker or bluer than that one?

Tonal
Values in Painting

In
the same way, working on a white painting surface will mislead the
artist on the true tonal values of colours. Pale orange for instance
will appear dark in context.

Working
on a toned ground (image 4) will enable the artist to judge tones
more accurately. This entails the application of a thin wash of oil
or acrylic paint over the painting surface, which could be grey or
brown. This will kill the off-putting white and give a more accurate
indication of the colour’s tonal value when applied on top. The
under-glaze should be allowed to dry before embarking upon the oil
painting.

Extreme
Tonal Values

Comparing
one tonal value with another will help the artist capture the true
essence of a landscape. I try to include all tonal values in my
paintings from pale to very dark to prevent the painting looking
washed out. Brilliant lightning
(image 2) or a dazzling sunset provides great opportunities for
exploring tonal contrasts at their most extreme.

Oil
Painting Techniques for Realism

Overriding
the dictatorial part of the brain in favour of what the eye sees will
help the artist produce authentic and candid landscape studies. But
art techniques can be used to further recreate realism.

A
high finish akin to photographic effects can be achieved by applying
thinned oil paint in a series of glazes, ideal for smooth expanses of
water or skies. This translucent paint layer will enrich or deepen
the colour beneath or create smooth gradations. Mixing paint with
medium, usually linseed by equal parts will produce a paint layer
akin to coloured glass. Blending brush marks away via a soft sable
will help attain a uniform finish.

Once
the glaze is dry, detail can be applied on top via a fine sable. Just
a few touches are often all that is needed to emulate realism. This
might be snow cracks on a mountain, sun-dappled wavelets or a ribbon
of lightning. Achieving smooth effects is explored in more detail in
chapter 6.

Resources
for Realism in Art

As
well as the approaches described, the following materials are vital
if the artist hopes to capture realism in paintings:

1.
Good quality photos.

2.
A good range of oil colours that include the primaries.

3.
The best fine sable brushes.

4.
Linseed oil for thinning the oil paint to glazes.

5.
An internal “off button” to presumptions about objects rendered
in the painting.

6.
An alert artist.

Chapter
5. How
do I Loosen my Style for Expressive Landscape?

Ways
of loosening up painting style. 1: Close up showing broken glazes in
the oil painting. 2: Wet into wet technique
is good for injecting a fluid quality to the painting. 3: Using a
contrasting hue for the underglaze to the overall hue of the oil
paint. 4: Pasting on thick oil paint via wide bristles.5: Moving
brush marks in the direction of the subject matter.

The
artist striving to paint impressionist style may agonise over every
brush mark which may inevitably stifle the painting of all
expression. How can the artist loosen up and create expressive
paintings with movement and energy?

How
to Paint Impressionism

Breaking
old habits of the fastidious artist’s steadfast practices often
entails identifying practice at fault, which could be any of the
following:

Sitting
too close to the painting. This could mislead the artist into
believing each brush-mark has more significance than it actually has.

Painting
onto a white surface. This will make pale colours appear dark by
contrast resulting in a pale painting with insipid colours.

Using
fine sable brushes throughout the painting session and filling the
painting with small marks.

Over-mixing
the colours until they are completely even and then applying the
paint as though emulsioning a bedroom wall.

An
aversion to vibrant or pure colours could cause the artist to temper
them with greys or neutrals.

Fiddling
with the painting until it loses life.

Producing
Expressive Landscapes

Allowing
imperfections to remain in the paint is key to achieving a painting
with movement and energy. This does not mean imperfections that spoil
the painting, but those that add character; broken glazes,
brush-marks or colour bleeds for creating movement or add mood, as
can be seen in the composite
images. Wet into wet (image 2) is one such technique to try.

Wet
into Wet

This
system involves applying wet paint onto a wet painting surface,
resulting in colours that run into one another and creating liquid
effects,
as can be seen in this lake painting.

If
this seems daunting at first, wipe an un-tinted layer of linseed oil
over the painting surface in a sort of colourless glaze. This gives
the artist more control over colour bleeds without the fear of
unwanted contamination.

With
more confidence, the wet paint can be applied onto a tinted glaze.
Avoid using a glaze consisting of a complementary colour to the
overlying colour glaze, as this could result in muddy mixes.

Loose
Brushstrokes

Further
techniques for loosening artist style may help break the habits of
the over-perfectionist:

Exclusively
use hog brushes no smaller than no.10 on a small painting surface.
This will force the artist into using economy with brush marks and
curtail linear detail.

Use
every tonal value from pale to very dark within the painting. Working
on a toned ground of grey or brown will reveal the true tonal value
of each colour and enable the artist to manipulate tones more
effectively.

Half-close
the eyes to generalise and simplify the view. This will encourage the
practice of using loose brushwork, ideal for skies and water.

Don’t
use black to darken a colour but the colour’s opposing colour. Red
for instance, can be used to darken green. This will add vibrancy to
darks.

Try
not to over-mix colours. Allow some colour streaks to remain on the
brush when applied.

Get
up and view the painting from a distance. Turn it upside down or
through a reflection to reboot the brain on what is vital about the
painting and what is irrelevant. This will also give the brain a
boost of oxygen and stimulate it out of a fug of complacency that
sitting for long periods may nurture.

I
believe every painting is allocated a limited number of brush marks
before it becomes overworked. Make every brushstroke count. As soon
as the artist starts to “fuss” over the painting, stop.

Vibrant
Colours in Painting

Don’t
be afraid to use colours neat from the tube. Juxtaposing bright
colours against neutral or sombre colours will make the bright
colours appear more vibrant rather than garish. Monet’s sunsets,
for instance, contained lots of neutrals which provided the stage for
the bright colours.

To
create focal points in colour, place contrasting colours against one
another. Sunlight and shadow, for instance contains warm and cool
colours; shadows often contain blues and violets, and sunlight,
creams and oranges.

Furthermore,
working onto a bright-coloured under-glaze will create interesting
contrasts against overlying subdued colours. Using the same technique
for complementary colours will make the painting appear to shimmer.
This can be seen when using a red under-glaze for a blue sky, as can
be seen in the painting in progress of snow (image 3).

Allowing
some of the colour beneath to show through in a broken glaze will
enhance the effect. The Fauves and the Post Impressionists used
chromatic contrasts in this way to extremes, which made colours
almost seem to vibrate against one another.

Chapter 6. How do
I Get Smooth Effects for Water and Skies?

1:
The
initial glaze of the oil painting needs working over before smooth
effects can be attained. 2: Panel smoothed over with fine glasspaper
forms the ideal surface on which to conduct soft blending. 3: Working
paint over a contrasting underglaze is not ideal for soft effects. 4:
Smudging oil paint via utensils such as cotton buds or soft rags.

The
artist aspiring for a smooth finish to an oil painting could be
disappointed when patchy areas persist even after blending the
oil paint with soft brushes. A blue expanse of water betrays unwanted
brush marks; a clear sunset exhibits dirty colour streaks. How can
the artist achieve an airbrushed effect with oils?

Saboteurs
to Smooth Effects

Achieving
smooth effects in paint will create a high finish to an oil painting,
which may be desirable for realism or enhancing mood, but the
following practices may make smooth blends more difficult:

Completing
an oil painting alla prima or in one go. This initial layer of oil
paint will often leave an unfinished or broken look, which gives oil
painting its freshness, but is not compatible with creating a smooth
paint layer.

Using
hog hair or bristle brushes are more likely to leave ridges or
troughs on the paint layer due to the stiff bristles’ scratchy
texture.

Trying
to blend a thin layer of oil paint over a contrasting colour (image
3) will reveal the uneven nature of the glaze, for example when
applying green paint over a red under-glaze.

Working
in impasto, or applying the oil paint too thickly will leave unwanted
brush marks on the paint layer, particularly when using impasto
medium.

Trying
to create smooth effects with oil paint could be made difficult when
applying the paint onto a rough surface, such as dried impasto, or
coarse canvas. The dragging effect on the paint layer leaves an
effect akin to “scumbling,” an oil painting technique explained
in chapter 2.

Trying
to blend pigments that have insufficient oils in them due to being
dried out on the palette or within topless tubes could result in a
chalky consistency to the paint, not ideal for blending purposes.

Achieving
an airbrushed effect with oil paint is possible when applying several
translucent layers of oil paint. This is known as “glazing”.

Glazing
Oil Paint for Smooth Finishes

Apply
the first layer of oil paint onto a smooth painting surface such as
MDF or panel
(image 2). The area concerned may be a large expanse of sky, a misty
canyon or snow.

Treat
the paint as through it were going to be the last, even though it
will never be perfect. Blend the paint and brush out any ridges,
troughs, tonal or chromatic divisions. Use a soft sable brush
throughout.

Allow
the paint to become touch-dry over a few days. Apply the second coat
with a little linseed oil. This adheres to the fat over lean rule,
which is a way of adding flexibility to the upper layers of oil paint
and prevent it from cracking. Adding linseed oil also adds
transparency to the paint which will add depth to the colour beneath
and reduce the appearance of imperfections within the under-layer.

Again,
blend the paint layer until a smooth finish is achieved. Repeat the
process a third time if necessary. I often find three glazes will
suffice, although some artists use more. The old masters applied a
dozen glazes or so to their oil paintings in order to perfect their
finishes.

Smudging
Oil Paint

Another
way to achieve an airbrushed finish to oil painting is a technique I
discovered by experimentation. After applying the paint with a soft
brush, I dab over the layer with a soft, clean rag
(image 4).

Apply
pressure evenly and consistently, adjusting the rag to a clean area
whilst working over the painting. Don’t worry if the rag
inadvertently smudges detail, it can always be reapplied afterwards.

Like
glazing, repeat the process once the first paint layer is dry. This
dabbing technique is great for smoothing areas on mists, skies and
other large areas of colour. Creating a smooth colour gradation in
painting can be achieved by shifting the colour mix in the glaze as
you go along.

Smooth
Blends in Oil Paint

Glazing
is a technique that requires practice but is worth the effort when
smooth gradations are achieved in skies or water. Glazing or dabbing
paint as described can also be used for smaller areas of the painting
such as a tree, a drystone wall or distant mountains.

Chapter 7. What
do I do About Backgrounds in My Landscape Paintings?

1
and 2: giving equal consideration to background and foreground
shapes such as shadows, cliffs and tin mines will enhance the
composition. 3: Using linear echoes to draw the eye to a focal point.
4 and 5: Expressing patterns in the background can add interest to
empty areas, as can be seen in these rippled clouds and the sea foam.

The
background to a painting is often a forgotten element when a
composition is set up. An empty and featureless area creeps in
unforeseen until the completion of the painting. This could ruin the
artwork, regardless of how well the objects have been painted. How
does the beginner overcome the problem of empty backgrounds in a
painting?

Backgrounds
Good and Bad

The
following practices are often the causes of unsatisfactory
backgrounds in landscape painting:

Giving
sole consideration to the main subject matter, and none to the
background elements within a composition.

Viewing
non-solid objects, such as clouds, reflections and shadows as
incidental.

Using
a neutral or pale colour for backgrounds, or using one colour to
represent the entire background, such as green for distant trees or
blue for the sky.

Conversely,
having too much going on in the background, robbing the painting of
any focus.

Painting
the background from memory in an effort to fill blank spaces
resulting in idealised background elements that fails to convince.

Negative
and Positive Shapes

A
good composition in painting can be achieved if the background is
given equal importance to the foreground
(images 1 and 2). These two elements to a composition are known as
“negative” and “positive” shapes.

Positive
shapes are the objects themselves. This might be a village church, a
Lakeland tarn or Cornish tin mines.

Negative
shapes are the spaces in between, which might be skies, distant hills
or weathered cliffs. Such backgrounds have features of their own,
such as shadows, reflections and contours.

With
this in mind, the following suggestions on what to do with negative
shapes may help solve the problem of what to do about the backgrounds
in paintings.

Linear
Contours

As
well as looking at the shapes of the objects within a painting, give
equal consideration to the shapes of the spaces between the objects.

Look
out for an imbalance in distribution. For instance, is there a large
area of negative space within one area of the composition such as the
sky or foreground? If so, rearranging the objects or shifting the
viewpoint might be the answer.

Linear
echoes can be used to create visual contours and textures and to draw
the eye to selected focal points (image 3). Avoid however of
repeating these elements in one part of the painting or its
concentration will make it visually weighty compared to the rest of
the composition.

Spread
them out; mix negative and positive shapes regarding size, contour
and orientation. Imagine the composition stripped bare to a simple
jigsaw pattern. Look out for any area that contains too many of one
shape type. Move them around until a balance is achieved.

Striking
backgrounds are those that add contrasts in hues, textures or
contours. A background containing a cool palette for instance, adds
interest to a foreground consisting of warm colours.Here,
the swirly foam breaks up a flat area of the sea, setting the stage
for this rocky outcrop.

Juxtaposing
complementary colours such as violet and yellow, or blue and green
will create chromatic focal points in backgrounds. Similarly, conical
mountain peaks provide textural contrasts against flora or
cornfields.

Exercise
awareness of backgrounds. Examine snapshots and look for background
elements which the photographer may not have been aware of. Use the
same practice when deciding on a background for a painting.

Alternative
Backgrounds

Non-solid
elements within a painting could create effective backgrounds if
given equal consideration to solid objects. Textures in clouds,
reflections in water and dappled shadows could provide interesting
elements normally overlooked.

Further
ideas for backgrounds might be unusual clouds formations, such as a
mackerel sky or cirrus. Alternatively cascading foliage, sun-dappled
trees or ripples on a lake cannot fail to add interest when handled
effectively.

Chapter 8. How do
I Erase a Mistake from My Painting?

1:
A muddled area of oil painting can be undone by
a technique known as tonking. 2: Firstly, press scrap paper onto the
offending area. 3: Lift excess oil paint off. This process can be
repeated until no paint can be seen on the scrap paper.

An
otherwise effective oil painting could be spoiled by a garish tree, a
black splodge or a grey expanse of water that is not in keeping with
the vibrant colours of the painting. In an attempt to put the
painting right, the artist may fiddle with the area, overworking the
paint until it looks a muddy mess. How can the painting be put right?

Culprits
to Oil Painting Mistakes

Few
things are more frustrating to the artist than completing a
satisfactory oil painting, except for a particular area. The view
holds true that an oil painting is only as good as its weakest point.
No matter what the artist does, the offending area will continue to
draw the eye unintentionally. The undesirable option of scrapping the
painting and starting again may seem to be the only option. The
following culprits may have brought the artist to this point:

Completing
the painting in one go, causing the final part to be rendered when
tired or in a rush.

Guesswork
an area of the subject matter by painting it from memory. More about
the perils of painting from memory can be found in chapter 4.

Trying
to work from a poor photograph or one that has incomplete elements,
such a tree obscured by shadow or a sky that is out of focus.

Fiddling
too much with an area of the painting, causing the area to lose life
and become muddy.

Trying
to cover up a mistake by adding ever thicker layers of oil paint
resulting in an unwanted impasto area.

Having
insufficient colours within the palette to express the colours
required, causing the artist to use substitute colours which are
unsatisfactory.

Using
cheap brushes that do not control the paint properly.

Salvaging
an Oil Painting

Scrapping
the painting need not always be the only option, unless the overall
painting is unsatisfactory. If only one area is at fault, the
following may be worth trying:

If
the area is quite large, such as a lake or area of sky, for example,
carefully wipe the paint off with a clean soft rag or palette knife.
Keep wiping the area until most of the paint is removed.

With
a little linseed oil on a clean rag, wipe the last remnants of the
oil paint from the painting surface. Then with a dry rag, wipe away
any remnants of oil. Leave the area to dry for two days or so.

If
the offending area of the oil painting has completely hardened, the
area can be lightly sanded down with fine glass paper to remove any
impasto effects and ridges until smooth. Use a dust-buster or vacuum
cleaner to prevent the dust from lodging into another area of the
painting.

Tonking
an Oil Painting

If
the aberration is close to an intricate area of detail, the artist
may use a method known as “tonking,” named after Sir Arthur Tonks
who came up with the idea. It is quite
simple and is akin to blotting (see images).

Cut
or tear a piece of clean paper (newspaper will do) into roughly the
size and shape of the offending area.

Tonking
Step by Step

1.
Place the paper over the area and press down with the palms of the
hands.

2.
Gently lift the paper off.

3.
Repeat with more clean paper.

4.
Lift off again.

5.
Repeat until no paint can be seen lifting off with the paper.

6.
The painting can be left to dry over a day or so and new paint can be
reapplied over the area.

Turning
Back the Clock

Mistakes
are unavoidable and are part of learning how to paint. However, the
following will help minimise mistakes from spoiling an otherwise
effective oil painting:

Good
quality artist’s resources, such as clear photographs or sketches.

Including
the primary colours for colour mixing.

Having
good quality sable brushes for detail.

Sticking
to recommended oil painting manufacturers rather than cheap
imitations.

Composing
the picture properly before applying the paint.

When
tired or time is running short, don’t rush it, put the painting
away. It can be completed the next day.

Chapter 9.
Painting Impasto Uses up Too Much Pigment

1:
Working paint thickly
can use a lot of oil paint. 2: Thick areas of impasto can be
practiced cost-efficiently with impasto medium, shown in image 3.
Impasto medium can be used to thicken the paint. 4 and 5: Surplus oil
paint can remain usable for a few days if the mixing palette is
covered with a Tupperware tub.

The
artist who ventures into painting impasto may paste the oil paint on
thickly for impressionist skies or landscapes, using up lots of
costly oil paint. The result is that there is little of the paint
left in the tubes for another painting. How can oil painting be made
cheap when using impasto?

Wasteful
Oil Painting Practices

Producing
an oil painting with impasto paint can work out expensive if the
artist is wasteful with oil paint. This can be a problem if using a
palette knife or wide bristle brushes for relief effects in skies or
cornfields. The following practices could make impasto techniques
costly.

Depositing
liberal amounts of oil paint onto the artist’s palette and then
simply disposing of the residue at the end of the painting session.
Such a situation may occur when putting too much oil paint on the
palette in relation to the size of the oil painting, for instance if
the impasto work is small.

Cost
Efficient Way of Impasto Application

A
great technique when working in alla prima, impasto can suggest
energy and give vibrancy to large expanses of an oil painting, such
as skies, water, seascapes and mountains. But few artists wish to
worry about how much paint to use when working in impasto, for
impasto techniques are all about freedom of expression with paint.

But
the artist can take measures to make impasto paint more cost
efficient without affecting artistic freedom.

Avoid
depositing large amounts of a pigment onto the palette in the first
instance, for surplus paint cannot be put back in the tube. It is
better to squeeze out a little at a time rather than one big splodge.

Don’t
dispose of the leftover oil paint on the palette at the end of the
painting session, for the medley of colours can be mixed to make
lovely neutrals or add bulk to a future impasto painting.

Place
a Tupperware lid over the palette and seal with cling film. If placed
in a cool place, the paints will remain workable for up to a week
(images 4 and 5).

Alternatively,
allow some of the oil paints to thicken on the palette over a day or
two. This will result in a thick, pasty consistency, ideal for
impasto techniques.

Impasto
Medium

A
large impasto painting may benefit from the purchase of impasto
medium or Oleopasto
(image 3). This is an alkyd based medium that can be mixed with the
oil paint to thicken the paint and make it go further.

Impasto
medium is often sold in tubes, and when squeezed out, a brownish
substance will emerge. Once mixed with the pigment, it will not
affect the colour, but will thicken the consistency of the oil paint.

Mix
the impasto to about one part to four. Adding too much may take the
tinting strength from the oil paint. The impasto mixture can then be
used for palette knife techniques or sgraffito with textures.

Impasto
Painting without Limits

Impasto
techniques with oil can be made inexpensive with a few adjustments to
how the artist applies the paint. Avoid throwing out old tubes of
paint for these can always be used for adding bulk to future mixes.
Save artist quality paint for the detail on top rather than the
initial layer of paint.

Surplus
paint on the palette can be saved for a future painting if sealed
under a cover and placed in a cool place. Impasto medium can
alternatively be mixed with oil paint to thicken its consistency and
make it go further, helping to cut the cost of oil paints.

Solutions to
Colour Mixing

Chapter
10. Why do my Landscape Paintings Look Dull?

1:
Using complementary colours side by side creates
contrast. 2: Employing established brands of oil painting pigments is
recommended. 3: Lots of pigments in oil painting sets are
unnecessary. 4: Working an oil painting in more than one glaze will
deepen hues.

In
an attempt to copy the old masters, the artist may temper vibrant
colours in the belief that an oil painting should look sombre.
In other cases, the artist may strive for vibrant paintings and
instead finds garish colours. How can the artist paint vibrant oil
paintings?

Causes
of a Dull Oil Painting

The
traditional view of an oil painting is often one that contains
numerous earth colours. The prospective artist may therefore purchase
a set of oil paints dominated with lots of browns and neutrals. The
following may also cause a dull painting:

Trying
to darken colours with black. For example adding black to green to
darken foliage or to purple for mountains. Black and any bright
colour often results in dirty colours.

Poor
understanding of the colour theory may produce unwanted colour mixes
that may spoil the painting. The colour theory is discussed in depth
in the following chapter.

An
absence of fundamental colours within the artist palette may compel
the artist to mix substitute colours which that fail to hit the mark.

Painting
alla prima can sometimes result in an oil painting that lacks depth
of colour once the painting is dry.

Over-mixing
oil pigments will often cause the colours to lose its life.

Using
more than three pigments for a colour mix.

An
unsuitable frame may make an oil painting look cheap and amateurish.
A thin gold frame or black plastic strip does little justice to any
painting. A wide rustic wooden frame will compliment most landscape
studies.

Painting
like the Old Masters

The
beginner might be forgiven for believing that the essence of an oil
painting lies with the old masters, which are noted for heavily
shaded areas, known as chiaroscuro. The early masters were restricted
in the colours they could use, as blue pigment (lapis lazuli) was
costly to produce, which is why early paintings appear subdued. In
other cases, bright pigments dulled with time.

Furthermore,
the precursor to oil colours was egg tempera, which is essentially
ground pigment mixed with egg yolk. Mixing colours was almost
impossible, as each colour had to be blended separately before
applying onto the panel. This meant many of pigments were necessary
for painting.

Modern
Oil Colours

Thankfully,
times have changed and oil colour manufacturing processes means that
these restrictions have been taken away. The artist may use any
colour desired and mix the colours on the palette for the painting.
In this respect, less oil pigments are necessary.

Some
artists will strive to emulate the old masters, having lots of earth
colours within the palette. However, such a practice may not be
suitable for vibrant oil paintings.

Colours
that Cause a Dull Painting

Many
oil painting sets contain unnecessary oil pigments, particularly
earth colours, which is why I purchase the tubes separately. Unless I
wish to add bulk to paint or mixing neutrals, I have found the
following earth colours lie dormant within my painting kit and many
cause dull colour mixes: